The prison, known as Tent City because of its construction out of Kevlar tents, was destroyed last year after an uprising by immigrant prisoners in protest of conditions at the privately operated facility in February. The prison, run by Management & Training Corporation (MTC), was closed due to significant structural damage causing the relocation of 2,500 federal prisoners and nearly 400 employee layoffs. The economic ripple effect in the area didn't end there, with job losses in the private and government sectors following the prison closure.

The facility had been operating under "Criminal Alien Requirement" to incarcerate immigrants for the Bureau of Prisons.

In June of last year, The Nation published a detailed exposé on the uprising describes a peaceful protest that was caused by widespread medical neglect. The peaceful protest was followed by the what the Nation called an "avoidable escalation" caused by MTC's guards.

MTC laid off nine staff members on April 17 after an uprising there two months ago left the facility uninhabitable and the Bureau of Prisons canceled MTC's contract for the federal prison for immigrants.

Officials told KRGV.com that the cleanup is complete, and there will be an effort to try and reopen the facility. A total of 363 employees at the prison were laid off. All 2,800 prisoners were moved to other federal facilities.

Although MTC is investigating the uprising, there are no immediate plans to reopen the facility. The damage, loss of the BOP contract, and the layoffs are piling up on top of the county's $63 million debt from the building of the facility.